Columnist Spencer Patterson: Local soccer benefits from World Cup win

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Feb. 3, 2000 | 11 a.m.

Spencer Patterson's prep notebook appears Thursday. Rech him at 259-4085 or spencer@vegas.com

It has been more than six months since the United States got swept up in Women's World Cup fever.

But here in Southern Nevada, the excitement created by the event has only just started paying dividends.

According to Ric Grenell, state director of coaching for youth soccer in Nevada, interest in local girls soccer is at an all-time high. And that bodes well for Grenell's Olympic Development Program (ODP), which selects and trains the top young players for international competition.

"On the girls side, all the best girls in town are coming out to play for us," Grenell said. "We can now field a full team in each age group, where in the past we couldn't."

At next month's high school regional tournaments, local soccer fans will have a chance to see some of the top players who have come through Nevada's ODP program, including Bishop Gorman's Amber Woodward, Cimarron-Memorial's Vanesha Bailey and Green Valley's Jennifer Breeden.

After the prep season is over, local players will try out for one of five state age-group squads (from U-14 up to U-18), with the top boys and girls from northern and Southern Nevada competing for the coveted spots.

From there, Nevada's state teams will compete against others from Region 4, which includes soccer powerhouse California along with the rest of the western United States. Those contests will be scouted by select coaches, who will then choose a regional squad in each age group.

Eventually, the national team will be selected from those regional squads, meaning that someday we might see a Nevadan playing in an Olympic or World Cup soccer match.

Even if that doesn't happen, the ODP can certainly pay benefits to local players who choose to participate. In addition to improving their skills by pitting them against top competition, it can also increase their chances of earning a college scholarship in the sport.

"The first thing college coaches look for is did they play ODP," Grenell said. "It's a standard throughout the country. We keep a profile, an evaluation on each player, so we're taking an active role in getting them recruited."

* NORTHERN SIGNINGS: Three football players from Northern Nevada signed letters of intent on Wednesday: McQueen linebacker Matt White (Nevada-Reno), Wooster offensive lineman Eric O'Brien (California) and Bishop Manogue defensive end Michael Yenick (Nevada-Reno).

White (6-2, 210) anchored the Lancers' defense last fall, helping the club to the Northern Zone title and an appearance in the 4A state title game. He earned Sun first-team all-state honors.

Yenick (6-2, 210) was a dominant force along the Miners' defensive line for the past two years, leading them into the 3A championship game both years and to the state title last fall. Like White, he was a member of the Sun's first-team all-state defense.

O'Brien (6-8, 265) was a member of the Sun's 1998 all-state first team before a preseason knee injury forced him to miss the entire 1999 season.

* CHECKING THE RACES: With four playoff spots up for grabs in each division this year, postseason berths were a foregone conclusion for most teams long before the winter began.

But with just over a week left in the boys and girls basketball season, there are a handful of teams fighting for the right to extend their seasons.

On the boys side, the Southeast Division has one spot up for grabs, with Basic and Vo-Tech hoping to claim it. Most likely, it will be decided next Wednesday, when the Wolves host the Road Runners.

For the girls, the Southeast is even tighter, with Basic, Chaparral and Vo-Tech all with a chance to finish third or fourth. And last week's sweeps by the Eldorado and Desert Pines girls squads have made the Northeast the wildest division of all, with all five teams in the hunt for the four playoff spots.

* FAITH FIELD DEDICATION: Major league pitchers Greg and Mike Maddux and former Red Sox second baseman Marty Barrett will be on hand this Friday when Faith Lutheran High School dedicates its new baseball field.

The ceremony at Bill and Elsie Koerwitz Baseball Field -- named for the couple which donated nearly $200,000 for the complex -- will take place at 2 p.m. The general public is invited to attend.

* TIDBITS: Three weeks into the prep bowling season, Chaparral's girls (20-0) and Durango's boys (16-0) have emerged as the only two squads with unbeaten conference records. The Durango girls (27-1) have Southern Nevada's top overall record. Cimarron-Memorial's Eric Erickson still boasts the area's top single-game score, a 290. ...

Cox Channel 48 will broadcast Friday's Rancho at Las Vegas boys basketball game next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ...

On the Internet, website nevadapreps.rivals.com will air Friday's Silverado at Basic girls game live at 7 p.m.